1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder for holding the ends of optical fibers constituting a bundle and for enabling them to be connected to a light-emitting device.
2. Description of Related Art
Some of the currently known holders have a body in the form of a cap, in the closed end of which an opening is formed for the introduction of the end of the fibers into its interior.
The diameter of the opening depends on the number of fibers constituting the bundle and therefore it has to be formed "in situ" by the fitter himself or at the factory.
In that type of holder, the optical fibers are held inside the cap by filling the space between the bundle formed by the optical fibers and the inner surface of the cap with an epoxy resin.
The holder is connected to the outlet of the light-emitting device by pressing, the holder being kept in the connection position owing to the friction between its outer surface and the wall of the outlet.
Those holders have a number of problems among which the following should be pointed out:
the drilling of the cap by the operator involves an increase in the time necessary for setting up the installation and therefore an increase in the cost thereof, especially if it is borne in mind that an installation may include a large number of holders; PA1 given that the application of epoxy resin in the mentioned region does not provide for any clamping of the optical fibers forming the bundle, those optical fibers which are positioned in cavities defined by adjacent optical fibers may come free from the holder, especially when the bundle includes fibers having different diameters and different degrees of hardness; PA1 at its rear end, the holder defines a rigid outlet and therefore, if the fibers have to change direction abruptly, some of them may be flattened or come free as mentioned above; PA1 when the holder is connected to the outlet of the light-emitting device by pressing, the end fibers may be spaced to a greater or lesser extent from the light source in a random manner, which involves an uncontrolled variation in the efficiency of the installation.
Others of the mentioned holders are composed of a packing gland which, when tightened, brings about the deformation of a gasket having the task of exerting pressure on the optical fibers forming the bundle. Such holders have an advantage over the previous ones since they prevent the accidental release of the optical fibers; however, they have no means of solving the remainder of the problems posed above.